I bought four deluxe boxes, two 2 cd sets and one stand alone vinyl set.  I have a problem, of which my family is well aware and happy to point out.  I didn't really mean to buy four box sets though, I forgot to cancel the first one I ordered from Amazon.com (forgot I even ordered it actually) and didn't realize my error until I got the notice that it had shipped, and obviously it was too late to cancel at that point.  Tis alright though.  I usually by extras of many neat-o items and manage to trade for other highly desirable items later.  Still have a bunch of extra RSD Good Vibes / Heroes 10", special BWPS Box sets, extra SOT cds etc.   

Grrrrr.  My 3 deluxe box sets plus one 2 cd set and one 2 LP set (yes, I know I have a problem) still have the dreaded "Not Yet Shipped" from Amazon.ca!  Not even a "shipping soon".  I have avoided the leaks and samples saving myself for the real thing but I'm not sure I can wait any longer.  Even though I have dropped near $400, I will probably have to go to my local store and pick up ANOTHER box set on the day of release.  Don't care.  I am so excited and must have the box at the earliest possible moment (in Canada anyway)...
Can't wait to join the legions with the important goods in hand!

Happy Birthday Scott!
May it be a good one. Thanks for being a great MD, guitar player, singer and making sure the best music ever written is presented in the best possible way on stage. Your hard work is noticed and very much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you and that wonderful band for my 34 Beach Boys show in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Thursday October 6th. Can't wait!
Cheers,
Rich Panteluk

If some kind soul could send me an Mp3 of these two beauties it would be Pretty Magnificent!
 

REALLY enjoying the first half of the cd.  

The winner here for me is most definitely Kiss The Girl.  I have been repeating this tune for an hour as the chorus knocks me out!  I do not want to get too carried away with praise, but it is making the hair on the back of my neck stand up!  Sha la la la la la My oh My indeed.  While the only wall the mighty Phil Spector is currently creating is with his wig maker to look pretty for his cellmate, Brian is stacking the wall of sound a mile high with vocals, big drums, and castanets, and showing him who's boss.  Brian's vocals shine here.  I have already pre-ordered this cd and I can't wait to read the liners.  And Smile coming soon.  Beach Boys tickets in a couple weeks.  Saw Brian twice this summer.  What an embarrassment of riches.  

Ignore.  Previous post was incorrect.  I was on Amazon.com.  Sorry...

Ignore.  Previous post was incorrect.  I was on Amazon.com.  Sorry...

Sweet Jesus, real tears!  How can music possibly sound any better than this?  Mark Linett, Alan Boyd you'd better hide; cause if I see you dudes I will not be able to avoid the urge to kiss you both.  Seriously though, Thanks to you both, and all involved for taking such good care with this important historical ear candy.  You gents are artists in your own right.  Off to listen again and again and again...

Shady,

The girl is Mike D'Amico's daughter.  She has been coming out for a song or two in the encores for much of the Canadian tour (she was on stage for both the Alberta shows I went to).  She was also onstage with Brian's kids for an encore song earlier this year.  Nice to see the younger generation having fun up there on stage...

I am also having trouble locating the mojo special (with or without the 45).  I'd prefer not to go the ebay route to avoid the pirates.  I would love it if anyone could hook me up with one (preferably with the 45) - I can send cash via paypal...

On a somewhat related note, I went to record fair recently and came across two new sealed copies of the RSD 10 inch GV / H&V.  I already have one but I thought I'd pick up a couple of extras and see if anyone still needed it.  I would love to trade for other rare stuff (new mojo w/ 45, or other htf BB or BW goodies).  PM me if interested.

Great job with the vocals Kayla!  What a tough song to even attempt, and your version is beautiful.  Keep 'em coming, I am enjoying them all.

Sales are incredibly slow in Calgary, and Edmonton for the Canadian tour.  So much so that I worry it may be cancelled.  I hope not, as Brian hasn't been to Calgary since 1988 and I have great seats to the show.  Hopefully Brian's recent Canadian promo interviews with the CBC, the Strombo show, etc, will help sales pick up.  Speaking of which I have some extra tickets (killer seats!) that I am looking to sell for the Calgary show if anyone is interested.  I am only looking for face value (no scalping here) so if you know anyone who might want some great tickets at a reasonable price please let me know.  Calgary is a great city if anyone is thinking of traveling from near or far.

Extra tix I have for the Calgary shows are:

Orch Pit - Ctr
Row - BBB (actual 2nd row)
Seats 36-37

as well as:

Orch Pit - LC
Row - CCC (actual 3rd row)
Seats - 21-20

PM me if interested...

Thanks for reposting that Alan Boyd quote Chris.  It is a depressing read.  Heartbreaking really.  I'm holding out hope that they managed to locate a few cool bits and pieces, but I am keeping my expectations low so that  hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised when I get that deluxe box in my hands and on my player...

I have one of the Smile slicks I bought from Frank in the late 1990's.  Tis very purdy.  I got it framed and it bears the following signatures:
Frank Homes (signed when I purchased it)
Brian Wilson (signed it in Edmonton Jan 30, 2004)
Mike Love and Bruce Johnston (signed it in Calgary Sept 21, 2006)
Al Jardine (signed it in Las Vegas April 4, 2008)

My only regret is that when I met Van Dyke Parks in LA in 2007 I didn't have the slick with me to add his signature.  I did get him to sign my BWPS cd though.  I haven't given up hope of getting his autograph on the slick yet. 

A few minutes after Al signed it, some dude offered me $1,000 cash for it and I turned him down.  I still think I made the right decision.  Everyday I walk by it and it makes me SMiLE.   Can't wait for the new SMiLE box!  Never thought I'd live to see the day.

My insider info only mentioned that Brian and Mike got together and recorded Do It Again (again) but did not mention any other Beach Boys (Al, Bruce, or David).  Are you saying you have definitive info saying all surviving BBs were present?  I understand that some session musicians were used (seems odd to me that Mike or Brian's bandmembers were not used or used exclusively) for this new version.

I welcome someone else's better insider info to beat up my insider info with many more details...  

Another well done track Kayla!  You do a great job with the vocals.  I'd like to hear you take a shot at This Whole World.

I'm looking forward to seeing Brian's Calgary (and Edmonton) show(s) too.  Should be great.  I usually love the sound at the Jubilee.  Due to some friends who backed out on me I still have some extra KILLER seats that I am looking to get rid of.  They are some of the best seats in the house and I am only looking for face value (no scalping here) so if you know anyone who might want some great tickets at a reasonable price please let me know.

It looks like the extra tix I have for the Calgary shows are:

Orch Pit - Ctr
Row - BBB (actual 2nd row)
Seats 36-37

as well as:

Orch Pit - LC
Row - CCC (actual 3rd row)
Seats - 21-20

I also have:

Orch Pit - CTR
Row - BBB
Seats - 42-45
But these are the seats that I will be probably be using.

Feel free to PM me if you have any interest.     

Cheers,
Rich
Calgary, Alberta

Thanks for the response Iron Horse Apples,
I'll give the RWMH version of Wonderful another spin or two with less prejudiced ears...
Hopefully the new box set will give several different satisfying versions of Wonderful (and all the others) to wrap our ears and minds around.

Big thanks for posting this footage PS!  A joy to behold.  Whets the appetite for the Smile Sessions. I look forward to you posting more video.  Thanks again.

Really Iron Horse-Apples?  Rock With Me Henry is your favourite version of Wonderful?  No disrespect, but I'm with Buddahat on this one.  Wonderful is one of my faves from Smile and the first time I heard the Rock With Me Henry version I was shocked at how it ruined such a pure and beautiful song.  I love Brian's experimentations but I feel like he realized that it just didn't fit with the vibe of the song and that is why it has never officially surfaced.  I was surprised that the SOT folks put it as the representative version of wonderful on the the single disc smile set.  Don't get me wrong I am happy to have heard it and i would be happy for it to be on the box set but I hope it doesn't make it onto the first disc of the 2 cd set.

But you are right the different stokes for different folks.  I have a soft spot for several BB / BW songs that others can't stand (Saturday Morning In The City and Make It Big are two examples of my guilty pleasures and I could name dozens more that many BB/BW fans have mocked me for enjoying...)

Thanks for the tip Emdeeh.  I just sent a $58 paypal payment (including shipping to Canada) to Billy's account and can't wait to see the dvds!

I tried to order 2 copies but the paypal link only shows a quantity of one and it seems there is no way to change it.  Has anyone managed to get the paypal link to show a quantity of 2 to get the cheaper deal?

Re: Brian sitting this one out:

I understand people's desire to get as much info regarding sequence and insights but if I were Brian I might "sit it out" too.  There is something to be said for letting a little mystery and the myths of SMiLE continue to exist and percolate in the minds of the listener.  It makes it more interactive and allows one to formulate their own sequences and theories about how it fits together and what it all means (even if their ideas infuriate and baffle others).  It reminds me of Frank Zappa's advice to Alice Cooper  (re- the chicken throwing incident) regarding not explaining yourself too much to your audience as their imagination will usually come up with a better story.

Don't get me wrong, I do love insightful interviews with people who were there (and I'd enjoy a good factual sessionography as well as a bunch of cool period photos), but I feel like some of the key answers that people are looking for just don't exist (much like some of the music), or may even be made up for lack of a real answer being available.

I enjoy the STORY of SMiLE but the recorded MUSIC means more to me.  I accept that it wasn't finished, but I am so happy to see that this beautiful music will finally get a release.  I do hope for new audio that we haven't heard yet (I'm sure there will be a few reasonable surprises and I'm not too greedy - a few new tidbits would thrill me).  Even if there is little or no new audio I will still be happy to take this set home and rejoice that it will reach a larger audience.  I'm still very excited and looking forward to the eventual release (I'm bracing myself for a few more short delays...so I don't flip out ala Phil Cohen).   ;-)

Hey bgas,

Yeah, I know it isn't a big deal at all.  I didn't mean to imply that it was.  Looking back at what I wrote I realize that I may come off as a prude - I'm not - I was having a double rum and coke at the time.  I was just struck by the fact that after all the stories of Brian's excesses, it was interesting to me to see him as just a regular dude having a beer.  I know some people who have struggled with addiction who cannot go back to moderation at all and have to cut out their vice of choice entirely for the rest of thier lives...  I think that was my original point but clearly it didn't find it's way into my previous post...

The first time I met Brian (B.B. Kings New York Aug 19, 2002), I was surprised to see him drinking a can of Coors Light (relatively quickly I might add).   I was surprised at the time to see him drink at all, but as long as he has it under control a drink or two now and then shouldn't be a problem, right?

I will likely pre-order the box set from amazon but having done this in the past (using the free shipping option) it always arrives well after the street date, and I have to go and buy it in the store anyway. 

Who am I kidding, I'll do what I do any time a major BB/BW release comes out.  I will buy MULTIPLE copies in EVERY format and then cap it off by buying promo copies off ebay.  And, like in recent years, I will also buy it off itunes at midnight just so I can hear it 8 or 9 hours earlier than waiting for the physical stores to open.  Then, of course, I will purchase the physical product 8 or 9 hours later then go home delete the 256kps mp3s and then rip the cds (at 320kps)  for future listening, and then go and listen to the vinyl on my hi-fi set up.

Yes, I am aware I have a problem (many problems actually).  I am crazed fan and collector, and I can't help myself.